Memories: Nightmares
by Meleeza
Summary: Ayden knew she was different. She just never knew how different until one day her life changed. She goes on a journey to find out what her 'dreams' are after awakening her powers. Just a chapter of the real story. Review. Chapter is AU of X-men united


A/N: This is part of a story I'm wanting to write and publish on here. I want to see how many people want to read this so I'm putting this up. Its part of a chapter I'm writing and I'll be putting up the beginning of the entire story once I get enough reviews telling me I should write a story about this. So please read and review.

**Nightmares**

The darkness at night was calming. After a rough day she could sit up in the highest tree for hours and stare at the big, round, white moon. Her mind could wander where it pleased without her having to worry about The Professor reading her every thought. He only did that on precaution, she knew, but she liked her privacy. Her heart could ache in the darkness and the tears she held in for so long could finally flow out. She could be left alone, be herself, in the dark. Even in a place like Xavier's School for the Gifted, she was limited to how much she could truly be herself. The students were afraid of her. Just like the humans. She couldn't fir anywhere and for that, her heart ached more. She just wanted to belong.

Sitting up in the highest tree branch, leaned up against the trunk careful not to lean too much to one side, she rested. The tears had stopped for the night leaving dry streaks down her soft cheeks. The cool night air bit at her skin, goose bumps rising along her arms. She rubbed her arms trying to keep warm. It would be easier to go inside and sleep but she didn't want to be anywhere near _them_. "Hey Kid."

The voice shocked her. She jerked, her eyes opening just as fast as they closed. She glanced over at the ground, glaring at the man who had the nerve to come outside and talk to her. "Logan." She said his name with bite.

Logan looked up at her, ignoring the hate radiating off of her. "Chuck said to get inside. He doesn't want you out here late at this hour."

"I don't care." He heard those words often. It was one of the many responses she gave everyone.

"He doesn't care if you don't care. Just do it." Logan ordered getting tired of her attitude. He was tired and wanted to sleep but he was doing Charles a favor. "Now Ayden." Logan didn't bother saying her name a lot. She didn't listen much but she knew when he spoke her name, he was serious.

Ayden grumbled to herself and jumped down landing on one knee before pushing herself to a standing position. Logan raised a brow at her and Ayden started moving towards the mansion, anger and annoyance in her body language. Logan followed behind her the entire way to her room, making sure she was inside before heading off to his own room for some much needed sleep. "You sleep. I don't want to have you falling asleep in odd places that I'd have to get you from." He told her, watching her sit in the middle of her bed. She had that look on her face, the one he often had. One of confusion and frustration. "Night kid."

Ayden glanced at him, the need to cry out in frustration so strong she could barely stand it. "Night Logan." He shut the door, leaving Ayden engulfed in a room of darkness. She laid down, turning her head towards the window. How many times had she seen the moon? In how many places? She sighed and turned on her side, holding onto the blankets with a tight grip as she closed her eyes so sleep could take over. How much longer could these feelings go on?

Then she was out, another sleepless night awaiting her arrival.

* * *

><p>A<em> girl was running through a white forest, snow flakes falling harder and faster each second passing. The ground was covered in a white blanket, her small feet making small but deep wholes in the ground. She was huffing and panting, cold air hitting her warm body. She was wearing a black torn shirt and dark knee cut army pants. Not the best thing to wear in the winter. As she ran, her dark black hair covered her face, blocking her face from view. She ran between 2 trees and stopped for a second.<em>

_Her chest rose and fell at a fast pace, her heart pounding and blood rushing through her veins. Her body trembled in cold but she did her best to ignore it._ _She turned her head slightly to the left, her ears picking up a distant sound of snow crunching beneath a heavy being. She started running again fear pumping more adrenaline inside her already exhausted body. _

_Suddenly a scent filled the air. One that made the girl stop in her tracks and sniff. It was an uncommon smell; an earthy smell mixed with __**something**__she just couldn't make out. The smell was making her feel uncomfortable but at the same time safe. She took a step towards where the scent was flowing from._

_The hairs on the back of her neck and on her arms stood straight up, almost like a cat when it gets scared. "It's you." The words were directed at a figure in the dark moving steadily from side to side. The figure grinned, two sharp teeth visible. She took a step back, eyes locked on with the figure. _

_Screams were heard a few meters from where she stood. Her head snapped to the direction of the screams, making her face finally visible. Blood covered her face; streaks of wet blood falling in drops over her eyes and onto her cheeks. A long thin scar going down her eye. _

_Bang!_

_And her body dropped to the ground as quick as lightning. The bullet lodged in the center of her forehead. No blood. No pain. Just quick and deadly. "Gotta be quicker than that frail." The man spoke, a grin still plastered on his face and he laughed._

* * *

><p>Ayden woke with a scream. She sat up as fast as she could, feeling her forehead and touching her arms and chest to see if she was still alive and well. The dream always started and ended the same. <em>That guy<em> was always in it and she didn't know why or who he was. He was just _there_. Her heart still raced with the fear the dream caused.

The door to her room slammed open, Scott and Ororo the first ones to reach her. Scott had his hand on his specialized glasses, ready to shoot the culprit, if there was one. Not only were the teachers up but so were most of the students who heard the terrified scream. "…It was just a nightmare…" Ayden mumbled looking away from the looks of both teachers. It was always _just _a nightmare. Her hands gripped the bed sheets tight, frustration and exhaustion causing her to feel hopeless. The nightmares were never going to end.

"The Professor wants to see you Ayden." Ororo told her, stepping out of the doorway and motioning for Ayden to follow. The young girl sighed and threw the covers to the ground, getting up from the bed . Scott turned to the kids in the hall and ushered them to their rooms, telling them to go back to sleep. School was in session in the morning.

Ayden followed behind Ororo, her head bowed as she passed students giving her a quick look before heading off to their rooms. They were going to talk about her. Like always. Ayden didn't want to speak to Charles again. There was no point. He couldn't help Ayden. Her memories were locked so far in her mind he couldn't access. Her nightmares, as he explained a few times, weren't nightmares but memories she couldn't forget. Yet she still couldn't believe they were memories. She could always find some part of her nightmare that showed she was in a different time period. That couldn't be possible. Charles knew it could be. Her full powers were still unknown to them all.

Once inside the Professor's room Ororo excused herself and left. "We've already been through this routine Professor. I can't go through one more of you're mind searches." Ayden whispered, tiredness in her voice. Charles looked at her, pity in his eyes. She was beyond exhaustion. "I just want these nightmares to stop…I want to be able to sleep and not wake up screaming and waking everyone up…I want to be a _normal_ mutant…Why me?" Her ranting ended with tears. Her confusion and anger were mixing together again.

He could feel the tense atmosphere starting to choke him and he knew it was her. "Ayden…" Charles warned. Her emotions going out of control meant danger to everyone.

"Sorry." She muttered, breathing in and out to calm herself down.

"As I have told you before, you're nightmares aren't nightmares. They can't just simply _go away_. I know you wish for that but it cannot happen." He was trying to get her to understand what she refused to hear. "Let you're mind go and just re-live those memories. I promise if you do you'll find the answers you want."

Ayden was growing angrier and angrier with him. What did he know about the situation? He wasn't in her mind, though he could be. He wasn't the one forced to feel the things she constantly felt on a daily basis. He wasn't the one forced to see the horrible things she saw when she slept. "I can't." Her voice broke. "I'm so scared…every time I dream I die…its always the same…I just want to sleep…." When her voice trailed off, Charles knew something was wrong with her.

"Ayden…Ayden!" He hollered when her body started falling over, eyes closed in a deep sleep. He watched her body hit the ground and he called for Scott. Her mental state was deteriorating at a fast rate. He closed his eyes and focused on Ayden's mind. He could feel her blank mind and knew she was in a deep sleep only she could come out of. This was it. She had to let go or she would forever be trapped in her fear.

* * *

><p><em>The girl was still laying on the ground, motionless. The figure was grinning in his dark corner of the trees watching her, waiting for something to happen. The bullet wound in her head suddenly started to close, the bullet being pushed out, and then it was healed. The girl coughed on the ground, her back wet from the snow and body trembling again. The girl sat up and rushed to her feet glancing at the figure still hiding in the shadows. "I told him you were like us…" He muttered under his breath, and finally stepped out of the shadows.<em>

_He was tall and big compared to the girl's small frame. He had those razor sharp nails and sharp teeth. "Who are you?" She held her tough demeanor, keeping hard eyes on the unknown man and ready to run if she had to. _

"_Victor. Victor Creed."_

_The name sounded so familiar to her but she couldn't process the name. Where had she heard his name from? Suddenly more bullets were fired but she was quicker this time. Before the bullet met any part of her upper body she ducked down to the floor. Her head snapped behind her where she could hear many people running towards them. Victor also looked over, a glint in his eyes she never seen before. He looked __**excited **__but she had no clue as to why. _

_She would have asked him but that was the moment her hunters decided to show up. The girl growled loudly like an animal when she spotted the man in front. He had a riffle in his hand pointing at her chest with a grin plastered on his face. A very visible scar stood out along his collar bone. It was jagged and made with something __**extremely **__sharp. _

"_I told you we would find you." The man spoke to her while narrowing his eyes at the sound of her growl. "Animal. Filthy, worthless __**animal**__." The words stung. She didn't like being called an animal. It wasn't her fault she was born that way. So she did what he wanted. She jumped at him from her spot on the ground, nails extended and fangs poking out just a bit more over her lips. The man held up his gun to block her from fully hitting him. He fell anyway but with her on top. She raised one arm, forgetting about the few other men at his side. Her arm went down slicing through the air but her arm was suddenly taken by a stronger hand._

_Her head snapped in the direction of the person who grabbed her. As soon as her head turned, the butt of a riffle was slammed into her face. Blood gushed from her nose and her eyes went wide with agony. The men pulled her off and threw her on the ground, watching as blood gushed and dirtied the white snow beneath her. The man she tackled stood up and brushed the cold snow off his body. He looked down at the mutant and shook his head in disgust. "Pathetic…why he even wants you back I don't know." He then aimed a kick at her ribs._

_The first kick bruised a rib and she cried out in pain, clutching her side and swatted at his leg, nails extended. "Fight back." The man told her and kicked again. She whimpered and did the same, refusing to do what he wanted. "Fight me!" _

_The next kick broke 3 ribs and her scream echoed throughout the forest. "Pathetic mutant!" She wouldn't give him a reason to hard her in ways she couldn't fight back. _

"_One day…" She muttered, blood dripping from her mouth as she glanced up at him. "You wait. I'll fight back and you'll wish you __**never**__ touched me!" _

_Everything after that happened in a blur. The man that had been kicking her was suddenly tossed against a tree. His bones could be heard breaking along with a pitiful scream. Her eyes snapped to Victor. He had been watching the entire scene and he couldn't __**believe **__what she was __**letting**__ that filthy __**human**__ do to her without a fight. It infuriated him to the point he had to interfere. The other three men held wide gazes at him, fear rushing through them each. _

_She sniffed the air and grinned when she smelled their fear. Served them right for what they did to her for so long. Victor looked down at her watching her face start to heal itself. He was sure her ribs were healed just fine now. "Get up." His voice was cold and demanding. The girl did as he said on command, afraid what would happen if she didn't. His one look at her told her everything she needed to do. His look was one of disappointment and anger. He wanted her to go true with what she said. He was giving her that one chance. _

_The girl glanced at the screaming man laying under the tree and the three men surrounding their leader. This was her chance. Her eyes suddenly swirled with a mix of power and excitement. Much like his had. The girl turned to the men and grinned, her grin much like Victor's. It was like she was a __**spitting **__image of him. _

_Then she attacked…_


End file.
